Top Free Agent Pitcher Joined Dodgers Stars at Dinner in LA, Fueling Speculation on Potential Signing
Max Fried received a qualifying offer from the Atlanta Braves on Monday, but the veteran left-hander is now set to explore the more substantial offers expected in free agency.
That could include the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Fried was spotted having dinner with a handful of Dodgers on Saturday night in Los Angeles. Among the group was his high school teammate Jack Flaherty, first baseman Freddie Freeman, shortstop Miguel Rojas, reliever Daniel Hudson, second baseman Gavin Lux, right fielder Mookie Betts, and utility man Tommy Edman.
Fried is listed as one of the top free agents by several baseball insiders. However, not many of them think that the Dodgers would be a potential suitor for the lefty.
R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports lists the San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, and New York Mets as potential landing spots.
“We wanted to print a complete list of left-handed starting pitchers with a better ERA+ than Fried since the beginning of the 2020 season, but we ran into a problem when we went to compile the names. You see, no sinister hurler who had a decent amount of innings (min. 200 combined) actually placed ahead of him in that metric,” Anderson wrote.
“Oh well. Blame Fried’s sustained excellence on his ability to manage contact. He ranked in the 95th percentile in average exit velocity last season, and he did it while generating nearly 60% ground balls for a second consecutive year. The biggest knock on Fried is his innings count, as he’s cleared the 180 threshold just once in his career. Given the league’s direction over the past decade, we’re not inclined to think that’ll hurt him.”
Fried was a cornerstone of the Braves’ massive rebuild, which set them up for six consecutive National League East titles from 2018 to 2023 and a seventh straight postseason run last year. He made his debut for Atlanta in Aug. 2017 and recorded a career-high 17 wins in 2019.
Over the years, Fried has become one of the game’s top arms. He finished fifth in Cy Young voting in 2020 and climbed to second in 2022. Now a two-time All-Star, Fried has posted a strong 2.80 ERA across 73 starts in the past three seasons. His track record of success has positioned him as one of the premier pitchers on the free-agent market.
Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
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